No, no, no! I don’t mean the device you throw and that’s supposed to come back to you. I mean a human boomerang.

What’s a human boomerang? That’s someone who left your company for supposedly greener pastures but found himself standing in the same brown stuff as before and is now ready to come back. Even if the grass was greener when he or she left, times change and the grass may now be less green where the person is now.

It doesn’t hurt to call someone whom you were sorry to lose and see what the person is up to. Maybe he’s happy as a clam and maybe not. If he’s happy, be happy for him and tell him to give you a call if things change. You may or may not have a spot for him when he calls but it’s worth the try. On the other hand, if he isn’t particularly happy where he is now, have a chat.

Like a boomerang, the person may come back. It’s a win-win for everyone. He’s happy to be back in an environment he’s familiar with and you’re happy to have a performer back in the fold.

Happy Canada Day (July 1) to our Canadian friends and
Happy Independence Day (July 4) to our American friends!

Alan:
We may need to agree to disagree. I’ve known a number of top performing salespeople, myself among them, who have left a company for a number of valid reasons only to return. Yes, I was a boomerang.

My experience has been quite the opposite regarding mediocre performers in that I find they generally stay put because it’s hard for them to find another company who will put up with them. 🙂

I certainly do agree with you that whenever we rehire a mediocre salesperson we are perpetuating mediocrity. Rehiring a former good or top performer however is another matter.

Perhaps I should have made that more clear in my post. Thanks for showing another side to the situation.

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About Brian Jeffrey

Brian has over 40 years experience in sales, sales management, sales training, and business consulting. He is the co-founder and past president of SalesForce Training & Consulting Inc, as well as Salesforce Assessments Ltd. Having sold both those companies, Brian's focus is now on sharing his sales and sales management experience with companies and individuals who want help managing their sales.
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